Broncs Score in Classroom

The Rider University student-athletes compiled a grade point average of 3.06 during the Spring 2011 semester, tied for the second best ever in the 18 years this information has been available.

Written By: Bud Focht

Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Rider University student-athletes compiled a grade point average of 3.06 during the Spring 2011 semester, tied for the second best ever in the 18 years this information has been available.

"Our student-athletes continue to achieve at a high level in the classroom, and they should be commended for performing so well academically this past semester," said Greg Busch, Rider Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Internal Operations.

The women athletes compiled their best ever semester GPA, with 10 percent of them collecting a 4.0. 72 percent of women athletes had a 3.0 or better grade point average and almost half of the men's teams had a 3.0 semester GPA. Overall, 67 percent of Rider's varsity squads had a 3.0 or better team average.

Ten men's soccer players and nine volleyball players were named to the MAAC All-Academic teams, nine field hockey players were honored nationally for their grade point averages and both the men's and women's soccer teams earned NSCAA Team Academic awards.

Ten tennis players were named to the MAAC All-Academic team and the women's tennis team received Public Recognition from the NCAA for its APR.

In all, over 150 Rider student-athletes were honored on the conference level for their high grade point averages in 2010-11.

"Rider student-athletes are very representative of our overall student population and historically are performing academically at least as well, if not better in some instances, as our full-time, day-student population on the Lawrenceville campus," said Dr. Jonathan Husch, Rider's former NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative who compiled the information. "Unfortunately, this is a story not often heard about Division I athletics and we should all be very proud of the academic success of our student-athletes. Once again, these academic results allow us to continue to say with all sincerity, We do Division I right."